Howard: Magic bailed on trade commitment, pinned me against the people
The working relationship between All-Star center Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic was rocky at best toward the end of his eight-year tenure (2004-11) with the organization. The team failed to capitalize on the momentum it had built after advancing to the 2009 NBA Finals, and it was clear that the two parties needed to go their separate ways.
Promises were made that ultimately weren't kept, though, which created a great deal of unnecessary tension - at least according to Howard himself.
"They said they were going to try to move me," Howard told The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears. "I thought it was going to happen. They came in and said, 'We're going to trade you.' They shook my hand and said, 'God bless you. You were here for eight years and you did a great job.' They asked me to go shake my teammates' hands. I went and shook their hands and told them that the team was going to trade me. I woke up the next day and they said, 'We're not going to trade you.'
"This was right after the (2011 NBA) lockout. I was supposed to get traded right before training camp. I had asked them to trade me to Brooklyn and I thought that was going to happen. They decided they weren’t going to trade me and that was when all hell broke loose. People said I was doing this in the locker room, doing that. But I've never been that kind of guy. I told my agent, 'Listen, they want me here, so I will just stay here until the end of the season and I'll make a decision after that. Let's not fight it. Let's not go back and forth. Let's not talk about it.'"
Howard - now with the Atlanta Hawks - mentioned that he had approached former Magic general manager Otis Thorpe about the possibility of starting anew elsewhere via a trade, stating that he simply needed a change in his life, which wasn't due to then-head coach Stan Van Gundy, his teammates, or the city.
Once revered as a Magic hero and a huge fan favorite around town, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year was disappointed that he was being made out to be a villain.
"There was just a lot of things going on behind closed doors. I just felt bad because I felt like they were trying to pin me against (Orlando)," Howard added. "Don't put me against these people if I'm out in the community every day fighting for them, trying to build. But that’s what ended up happening. I loved every part of Orlando. I was always out and my goal was to try to reach every kid there."
With one year remaining on his contract, the Magic ultimately sent Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers in a four-team trade that also included the Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets.